KINYOZI: a Hair Story
The Center at West Park Presents
Kinyozi: A hair Story
As a part of the Evolution Festival
Saturday, September 27, 2025 @ 7:30PM
Ethel S. Lefrak '41and Sammuel J. Lefrak Theatre
at Barnard College
Appropriate for 18+
KINYOZI: A Hair Story is a dark coming of age comedy set in West Philadelphia. With high school graduation around the corner, India is preparing to take over her Auntie Cleo's iconic braiding salon with her best friend Mary. After an abrupt change, the girls are forced to navigate the salon on their own, testing everything they thought they knew about adulthood, and most importantly, their friendship. This is a story about first loves, in every form and every capacity.
Ananda Long - Playwrite
Damayanti Wallace - Director
About the Lead Artists
Ananda Long (they/them) is a Black Lesbian playwright, and proud West Philly native currently based in Brooklyn, New York. They define their work as a living archive of contemporary Black and Queer experiences, that seeks to inspire moments of communal catharsis. Their plays include Brother Play (La MaMa Experiments Reading Series, FMM Works in Heightened Language 2024 Finalist) and KINYOZI: A Hair Story (The Flea Theater, The Tank’s LimeFest, CWP Evolution Festival). They were a member of The Workshop Theater’s Spring 2024 Intensive, as well as a finalist for Life Jacket Theater Co. 2025 Writers Room.
The CWP Evolution Festival is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
